The days of easily purchasing marijuana on the streets of Bangkok or Phuket may be coming to an end. With the now shifting political landscape in full effect, the newly formed coalition government is expected to restrict its use solely to medical purposes. This change in stance means that the current convenience of buying cannabis could soon become a thing of the past. The legalization of cannabis created a legal vacuum, allowing a new industry to emerge without proper regulations in place. Thousands of dispensaries sprung up across the country, catering to the demand. However, as lawmakers struggled to pass comprehensive legislation to regulate cannabis, dissatisfaction grew. Some argued that the existing laws didn’t go far enough to control recreational use.

This impending shift in cannabis policy is causing uncertainty among those involved in the supply chain. From the more than a million farmers cultivating the plant to the numerous dispensaries spread throughout the provinces, everyone is anxiously awaiting what the newly elected government decides to do.

Our Take

I actually think things have gotten a bit out of hand in Thailand as far as the cannabis space goes and feel that a bit of regulation would be a good thing. It will drive legitimate tax-dollar revenue, result in a cleaner end product, and develop into what hopefully becomes a legitimate, diverse industry. Disorganized chaos probably isn’t the best way to operate (especially when it comes to cannabis), so some tightening down is something I can get behind. If it plays out where it’s for medicinal use only, operators that have been doing things by the book thus far (even if they didn’t need to due to the wildness of it all) will be rewarded with less competition and clearer rules.